Menghai produced a 250 gram beeng of their V93 formula in 2011, it's around 10 bucks US.I have not tried this one yet but have tried just about every other V93 they have released, might be worth looking at.

In my opinion Dayi is your top choice for shu. There are a handful of good cakes well within your price range that are 4-5 years old that might be worth considering unless your set on buying something young.

Ive been happy with most of the V93 that I have tried, but some years are better than others. Recently I was pleasently surpried with the 2007 Gu Ming Xiang "Nan Nuo Mountain" Ripe Pu-erh Tea cake from YunnanSourcing-US. Its solid for cupping everyday, not exceptional though. The post also contains my feelings for Menghai ripes from the last 10 or so years that I have tried (not good).

I think you can still get the Dayi 2007 Golden Needle White Lotus for under $50, or the 2010 GNWL for less, if you look around. The 250 gram V93 from this year is a tuo, not a beeng (I enjoy V93 a lot, but it's not the most complex tea ever).

Not 2010 or 2011, but I would vote for this tea:http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/product.php?id_product=19712007 Menghai "Secret Aroma" Premium Ripe Pu-erh cake 357 grams$35.I tried it last week and would recommend it. It is very smooth, very infuseable, and made for an enjoyable session. It did not have as much "punky" taste as some shu. I still have not tried V93. I did have the Golden Needle White Lotus last week for the first time. It did not overwhelm me. It was okay. That seemed less "composted" than some shu. Maybe a better candidate for a bit of storage?

Catfur wrote:I think you can still get the Dayi 2007 Golden Needle White Lotus for under $50, or the 2010 GNWL for less, if you look around. The 250 gram V93 from this year is a tuo, not a beeng (I enjoy V93 a lot, but it's not the most complex tea ever).

Also there is essence of tea,s Gushu shu . I happen to be drinking it right now is really pretty good and still has plenty of life left in it. The only problem being that they only have the loose leaf left in stock.